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Art training and communication
As I’ve stated a few times, I am fortunate to have available to me some great articles from the American Artist magazine of 50-70 years ago. It was a time that abstract expressionism had a stronghold...
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Bringing still life to life
In last week’s blog post I introduced you to Richard Goetz (1915-1991). Goetz, living during the worldwide artistic revolution of abstract expressionism, firmly held to the belief that painting is one...
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The creative process: “At the Edge of Town” (final)
Creating a quality painting is much like writing a great novel, or composing a moving piece of music, each begins with an idea. The idea may be fully formed, but just as often may begin with nothing...
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John Frederick Kensett
As professional artists, in my case a painter, it’s an easy thing for the work to consume us. Even when not painting we’re thinking about it…ever looking, analyzing, composing, critiquing, and...
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Rockwell on my mind
When I was in college, many years ago now, the work of Norman Rockwell was sneered at by those in the Fine Art Department…”Old-fashioned, sentimental, trite, work of no consequence,” they would say....
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Art buying…emotional or practical?
Eric Rhoads is a career entrepreneur with 30 years of launching companies and media brands, creating startups, and building businesses, including over 40 years’ experience in the radio broadcasting...
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John Pototschnik interview
Voyage Dallas, an on-line magazine serving the Dallas/Ft Worth metroplex, recently conducted this short interview with me for “The Most Inspiring Stories in Dallas” section of the magazine. The...
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James Tennison interview
We’ve all experienced it…certain works of art that embed themselves in our consciousness; although seen many years ago, James Tennison’s, “His Life-Giving Touch”, is one such work for me…profound in...
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Ennobling the Peasantry
In the early 1800’s, paintings depicting themes from classical history and mythology had pretty much run their course. Artists were looking for new subjects, something different through which to...
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Hodges Soileau interview
Hodges Soileau had a very significant, almost 30-year illustration career. Nationally recognized for his work, he was a prominent member of the Society of Illustrators in New York, created more than...
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Stapleton Kearns: 10 key quotes
I became aware of Stapleton Kearns several years ago through one of my art students. From that day I became a faithful follower of his almost daily blog…one of the best, most informative art related...
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Ann, Anna, Annie, and Anne interviewed
I doubt there are too many of you that are unaware of paintings by Anna Rose Bain, Anne Blair Brown, Ann Larsen, and Annie Kraft Walker. All are from different parts of the country, are multiple...
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7th Annual PleinAir Salon art competition
PleinAir magazine is hosting its 7th Annual Plein Air Convention, 16-20 April, 2018, in Santa Fe, NM. Hundreds of artists will gather from around the world to paint together, see old friends, make new...
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Outdoor painting
I am fortunate to have been given, several years ago, some 50-70 year-old American Artist magazines. Browsing through one of them recently, I came across an article about direct painting…meaning,...
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Adam and Andrea Clague interview
Adam and Andrea Clague met while attending art school at Pensacola Christian College. Both graduated with master degrees, and after dating for a year and a half, they married and are celebrating their...
View ArticleGive thanks
A group of ladies came to my door a few days ago, and after introducing themselves, asked: “John, What is the greatest gift in the world?” I think my answer probably surprised them as, sadly, most of...
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Charles Sprague Pearce
In the last quarter of the nineteenth-century, a very large number of American artists traveled to Paris to absorb its beauty, take advantage of the extensive artistic education available and all the...
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What is Art?
What is art? That’s a question I don’t hear debated much anymore, maybe because that’s a topic for the smoke-filled rooms of intellectuals…not us working professionals. However, I do find the question...
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The irrational, improbable, illogical good news
There is a credible account of a Jewish woman, many many years ago, giving birth to a son which she wrapped in strips of cloth and laid in a manger. Her husband to be had tried to find them a room in a...
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Outdoor Painters Society announces its 2018 Masters
It’s with pleasure that I share with you the newest members to be awarded Master Signature status by the Outdoor Painters Society (OPS). Beverly Boren and Ted Clemens were recently elected by ballot...
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